The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (known locally as ‘The Aquarium’) is the island’s most popular tourist attraction. The facility is run by the Bermuda Government and supported by a charitable foundation, the Bermuda Zoological Society.
As the name suggests BAMZ has three main areas:
Aquarium
Main Gallery and North Rock Exhibit
After paying the admission fee you’ll enter the aquarium. There are over 200 species of native fish and invertebrates on display including parrotfish, triggerfish and moray eels.
The signature exhibit is undoubtedly the 145,000 gallon North Rock Exhibit; a living replica of one of Bermuda’s spectacular coral reefs. It’s one of the largest live coral collections in the world and is home to a variety of marine life including barracuda and shark. You can even stick your head in a giant Plexiglas bubble and experience the sensation of diving in a coral cave.
Harbour Seals
After leaving the main aquarium building you’ll come to outdoor pool housing four harbour seals. Feeding times at 1.30 pm and 4 pm are followed by a brief but informative presentation about the marine mammals.
Green Turtles
Green turtles are housed in an outdoor pool outside the main entrance. It’s the only place you’ll get to see adult turtles in Bermuda. Although they spend their early years in Bermuda’s waters, they migrate to the Caribbean once they mature.
Zoo
Though not exactly one of the world’s largest zoos, it boasts some interesting exhibits and is clean and well-maintained.
Madagascar: Land of Mystery and Wonder
This large walk-through exhibit is the latest to open at the Aquarium. Visitors encounter ring-tailed lemurs, the carnivorous fossa, chameleons and other species from this unique island nation.
Islands of the Caribbean
It aims to show how wildlife has migrated from the Caribbean and South America to Bermuda. A walkway leads through a large, free-flight enclosure and allows visitors to interact as closely as possible with the creatures inside. Species here include the scarlet ibis, rosette spoonbill, Cayman blue iguana, Brazilian acouchi and golden lion tamarin.
Islands of Australasia
At this exhibit you will come up close and personal with many endemic Australasian and Asian species such as wallabies, tree kangaroos, otters, bats and tree shrews.
Local Tails and Discovery Room
Kids love it here and are offered the chance to interact with nature. There’s a touch pool with molluscs, sponges and small lobsters, a table-top tank full of corals and juvenile fish, a glass-enclosed bee hive plus plenty of other interactive features.
Other
A reptile exhibit features Oscar, an American alligator. A member of staff assured us he was alive but we saw no signs of movement. You can also see two huge Galapagos tortoises, Haitian slider turtles, and a large flock of pink Caribbean flamingos.
Museum
The natural history museum contains a number of interactive and audio-visual displays. Here you can learn about Bermuda’s geology and formation, the impact of humans on the island, endangered species, biodiversity, the Sargasso Sea, and more.
Opening Hours
The Aquarium is open daily throughout the year (except Christmas Day). Opening hours are 9 am to 5 pm, with the last visitors admitted at 4 pm.
Admission
Admission tickets cost just $10 for adults and $5 for children (5 to 12) and seniors. Kids under 5 enjoy free admission. It’s excellent value for money given Bermuda’s high cost of living.
Facilities
Visitors can grab a bite to eat at the onsite café. It’s open daily from 10 am to 4 pm. The Aquarium also offers restrooms, a wonderful children’s play area, and a well-stocked gift shop.
Much of BAMZ is covered making it a great place to spend a rainy day.
A coastal walkway runs along the northern side of the facility. It offers great views of Harrington Sound, benches to relax on, and is lined with rare endemic and native plants.
Shore Excursions
Many of the cruise ships visiting Bermuda offer a trip to the Aquarium as one of their shore excursions (often combined with a visit to the Crystal Caves).
Cruise passengers can make considerable savings by organising the trip themselves. Simply buy a transportation pass and pay the entrance fee at the door.
Events
BAMZ and the Bermuda Zoological Society organise numerous events throughout the year. There’s whale watching trips (in April and May), children’s camps, fundraising events, lectures, and more. For details please visit the official website or Facebook page (see below).
Directions
BAMZ is situated in Flatts Village in Hamilton Parish. Its location can be seen on the map at the bottom of this page.
To travel by bus from Royal Naval Dockyard (Kings Wharf/Heritage Wharf) take bus number 6 or number 7 to the Central Terminal in Hamilton (alternatively take the ferry to Hamilton). From here take bus number 10 or number 11 to St George. Buses stop directly outside the Aquarium.
Visitors travelling by scooter should note that there is free parking right outside the facility.
The aquarium is currently undergoing a massive redevelopment project. The aquarium hall is expected to reopen in the middle of May, and the rest of the building in the middle of June.
The zoo is open to the public.
We paid $10 each to get in the aquarium and spent around 3 hours there. There is both an aquarium and a zoo here and both are fairly small compared to what you would find in the US. However, there are no crowds here so you get a pretty good view of both the fish and animals without having to jostle to get to the front.
The gift shop was good too, and there were plenty of shady places around the facility where you could relax.
The zoo was great value with admission for seniors only $5. There were lots of different animals considering the relatively small size of the zoo. It was very easy to reach on the bus. The stop was right outside the entrance. There is no need to book with the cruise ship. You are just paying extra for no benefit.
This was a fun way to spend an afternoon. We took the ferry from our cruise ship at Dockyard to St George and then a bus to the aquarium.
For such a small island it’s not a bad zoo/aquarium. The alligator feeding was interesting and we liked the walk-through enclosures. The restaurant served a very nice lunch and everything was freshly made.
The zoo has a nice little gift shop where I did a lot of my holiday shopping.
This is a great learning experience for adults and kids alike! My (middle-aged) friends and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The admission price is $10.00.
While you are here don’t forget to stand on the bridge next to the aquarium and watch the tide go in and out of Flatts harbor.
This aquarium is pretty good. Don’t bother with the Devil’s Hole Aquarium though, it’s got to be the biggest waste of money ever.